


The Dawning (of the flames of love)

by Mystic_Shadows



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-05 18:55:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25700191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mystic_Shadows/pseuds/Mystic_Shadows
Summary: How did Mermista and Sea Hawk meet? How did they get to where they are today?
Comments: 5
Kudos: 7





	1. Flames

How the hell was she lost? It was a boat. Boats aren't that big. At least not generally. Sure, the boat has looked big from the outside, but still. Mermista growled as she turned a corner and ran into yet another dead end.

She turned around and headed back down the hallway, pushing past the guy standing in the middle of it. She followed the hallway all the way down and ran into a dead end again. She yelled, punched the wall, and watched as the torch mounted on the wall wobbled. Once it stopped wobbling and she was sure that it would stay on the wall, she turned around and headed back to the guy, whose grin got wider the closer she got. She stopped in front of him and glared. "How do I get above deck?"

"Above." He pointed up.

"Yes. I would like to get above deck. Where are the stairs?" She growled.

He laughed. "They're above you." He reached up and pulled a ladder down, a small section opening up.

Up on the deck, she glanced at the guy, then looked out over the ocean. "Thanks, I guess. Can't believe I almost got stuck down there. I got something to say if I ever meet the person who designed this boat."

"Well, then. Today is your lucky day! I, Sea Hawk, designed and built the Dragon." The guy swept into a low bow, then stood back up. 

Mermista stated at him. "Your design sucks." His face fell. She ran her hand over the sun-warmed wood, then glanced at him and sighed. "But you're decent at building boats. Oak?"

"Teak, actually. But not bad. Most people don't know about boats. " Mermista shrugged. "So, may I get the name of my fair lady?"

"I'm not your anything. But you don't seem dangerous, so bye. " Mermista turned to jump off the side of the boat. Sea Hawk reached out and grabbed her arm. 

Mermista turned and threw him off into the mast. He groaned and laid on the deck. Mermista walked over to him and looked down. "Umm, sorry. I didn't mean to throw you that hard. You ok?" She offered a hand and pulled him up.

"Who, me? I'm fine. Just fine. Just..Just give me a second." He wheezed, still bent over a bit. He straightened up and glared at her. "What were you thinking? You can't just jump off a boat."

"Why not?"

"Why not!? Because it's dangerous!" Mermista gave him a blank look. "You have to watch out for the undertow! The wildlife! The fact that it is quite a swim to shore! We can just sail back to wherever."

Mermista rolled her eyes and pointed at the beach on the horizon. "It's not that far, and I've done it before."

"No, absolutely not. I will sail you back, no ifs, ands, or buts about it." Sea Hawk went to the steering wheel and turned the boat towards the shore. After a few minutes, he called down to Mermista who was still leaning against the railing. "How did you get into my boat, anyway? I didn't think anyone was around when I weighed anchor."

Mermista glanced up at him. "You're in my bay, pirate boy. I was curious." 

Sea Hawk nodded. "I see. It was an Adventure!"

Mermista turned away from him and smiled. "Whatever, sure. An adventure."

As they continued to sail towards the beach, Mermista listened to Sea Hawk hum and took a deep breath...and coughed. Instead of the salty ocean she had expected to smell, there had been a strong acrid smell. Once her coughing fit ended, she took another breath and was able to only smell the ocean. She scanned the boat for anything that looked out of place and was unable to find anything. She glanced up at Sea Hawk, who quickly looked away from Mermista. "Sea Hawk? Do you smell anything weird?" Sea Hawk looked back down at her and shook his head. She settled back against the railing but stayed alert, scanning the boat in periodic intervals. 

After a few more minutes of sailing, Mermista noticed that the wood underneath her feet was getting hot. She looked down and saw flickering light. She frowned and moved towards the trap door. When she got there and opened the door, an explosion occurred and Mermista was thrown back to the stern of the boat. Dazed, she sat up and looked towards Sea Hawk, who was yelling something. She shook her head and struggled to her feet, leaning on the railing. She started to make her way over to Sea Hawk when she looked up and saw that Sea Hawk was no longer by the wheel. 

Sea Hawk stood frozen by the wheel as he watched her get thrown back. When he saw her looking at him, he yelled, "My lady, are you all right?" Noticing her shake her head and struggle to stand, he left the wheel and made his way down to her. He was able to get to her side quickly, and as she turned to him, his breath caught in his throat. The fire-which he had been ignoring in the rush to get to her side- had thrown her profile into sharp relief, but what really caught his attention were her eyes. The dancing flames were reflecting in her amber eyes, making them shine. 

Mermista looked up and noticed Sea Hawk gaping at her. "Sea Hawk?" Receiving no response, she waved a hand in front of his face, and a crack split the air. Sea Hawk blinked, and they both looked around to try to find the source. Another crack, and Mermista looked back at Sea Hawk in time to see a block of wood hit his head. His eyes rolled up and he fell over the railing into the ocean. Mermista jumped off after him, her legs transforming into a mermaid tail in a flash of light. Seeing him just ahead of her, she grabbed him by wrapping one arm around his chest and used her other arm and her tail to propel them back to the surface. Once they broke the surface, she glanced at Sea Hawk to see if he was ok and noticed him staring at the burning boat in front of them. They stayed and watched it go down, Sea Hawk occasionally sniffing. 

Mermista waited until the boat had sunken entirely before she shifted Sea Hawk to her back so she could start heading towards the shore, which was close and she expected to be there within the next couple of hours. She informed Sea Hawk and they settled into silence. 


	2. Filler

They arrived at the beach as the sun neared the horizon. Sea Hawk slipped off her back as Mermista stepped up onto the beach. She gathered the water from their bodies and returned it to the ocean. She turned to Sea Hawk, who still hadn't said a word since the boat sank. She opened her mouth, ready to ask a question, when a different voice split the air.

"There..there you are!" A man, dressed in the same colors as her, ran up to them. He caught his breath and looked at Mermista. "Where have you been? I've been looking everywhere. The King requests your presence." Mermista rolled her eyes as she grabbed a sheet of paper from the pile the man had.

She scribbled something down and thrust the paper at Sea Hawk. "Here, give this to Gully at Seagull Inn. It'll give you a roof for a couple of days." He grabbed it and looked down at it. "See ya." Mermista turned around and started walking away. 

"Wait." His voice came out shaky. Mermista turned back to him and saw how he clutched to the paper. "Can...Will...Can we see each other again?" 

Mermista looked at him in silence for a few seconds. "If you're serious, Jellyfish Joe's tomorrow, noon. Don't be late." She walked off, the man following her.

Sea Hawk stared after her, then looked around trying to figure out which way to go. He spied a wooden board with the image of a seagull on it and made his way over to it. He saw the old man behind the bar, made his way over. "Hey, you Gully?" The man nodded. "I'm looking for a room. Was told to give you this."

"Rooms are hundred a night, you got the coin?" Gully said as he glanced at the note, then did a double -take. "Never mind, you're covered." He got out a room key. "Room 700, faces the ocean. Main rules: no starting fights, ya get too drunk I'll throw ya out, no bringing others into the room overnight. You're lucky, she likes ya, so ya get free food here once a day. Questions?" Sea Hawk shook his head no and grabbed the key. "Good. Last piece of advice, either stay on her good side or avoid her." He nodded, then left and went to his room.

Once in the room, he gave it a quick look-over. It was a normal room, one bed, closet to host his clothes..if they hadn't sunk to the bottom of the ocean with his boat. The boat he'd built with...no. No, he didn't want to think about that right now. Even though the sun had just barely set, he took a quick shower and climbed into bed. The last thought he had before he fell asleep was 'I still don't know her name.'

"Hey, Dad." Mermista walked into the room and found King Mercio hovering over the table. He nodded an absent-minded greeting as she moved up beside him. Her eyes scanned the hologram covering the table.

"Hello. Where have you been?" Mermista shrugged at the asked question. "Ah, no matter, no matter. I've gotten word that Bright Moon will be attacked very soon. Very soon. This might be the perfect time. The perfect opportunity." The moon signalling Bright Moon flashed. "Do you know what that means?" Mermista shook her head. "It means that the Fright Zone will be unprotected. Hordak will be unprotected. That is what it means." Mermistas' eyes widened and she took a closer look at the hologram. There was a lot of Horde symbols more than halfway to Bright Moon, but there were still some over the Fright Zone. She pointed it out. "Ah, well. Even a villain probably has staff he isn't sending out. But still. This is what I've been waiting for." 

"Don't you mean we? What we've been waiting for."

He raised a hand. "Yeah, yeah. Of course." Mermista rolled her eyes and turned to leave. "Oh, by the way, will you do some of the paperwork? It's not much, just reviewing the treaties. I gotta get this plan set." 

"Sure, whatever. See ya." Mermista left and went to her office. Settled into her comfy teal chair, she looked at the stack of paperwork and groaned. "Not much? He didn't actually check the stack, did he?" 

The first few pages were actually suggestions from their council, suggesting new laws. She approved the ones for measures to prevent over-fishing and the ones about protecting endangered species. She denied the ones about forcing the people into an army draft. The next few documents were the treaties, basically saying that they were allies and wouldn't attack each other. Mermista was pretty sure that there was more to them, but wasn't sure what. She signed them, then moved onto the next document. She reviewed the financial documents, which projected a depressing view of the next few years. She set them aside, reminding herself to talk to her dad about says to stimulate the economy. She glanced at the clock, then at the last document- from Bright Moon, then did a double take at the clock. It was almost 2 in the morning and she decided to leave the last document for tomorrow. 


	3. Awkward Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First Date?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have realized how long it has been since I've been on a date. I don't remember what people do. So, have a probably awkward flowing first date.

The sun hit Sea Hawk in the face. He groaned and rolled over...only to fall off the bed. Sitting up, he looked around the room, which wasn't his cabin on the boat. He frowned, then remembered that his boat had sunk in flames from the beautiful girl….wait. He was supposed to meet the beautiful girl today. And he was nowhere near ready. He glanced at the clock, then took a quick shower, carefully styling his mustache. After getting directions from Gully, he left the inn and headed to Jellyfish Joes. He waited outside the door and checked the time, then frowned when he realized he was a little early. He glanced around, trying to find something he could do to pass the next few hours until she arrived. His eyes lit up as he spied something sitting on a box a few feet away.

Mermista tapped her foot and groaned. He was late. She glanced around, trying to spot him then started to walk off when she heard a shout. Recognizing the shout, she turned around and headed towards it. She rounded the corner and saw Sea Hawk on top of a box, slashing the air with a sword. In front of him is a gaggle of children, all laughing and fighting with their own wooden swords. She cleared her throat, catching Sea Hawks' attention. When he looked at her, he smiled wide and waved at her. He said something to the children and walked over to her, leaving them to play with each other. "You know you're late?" 

Sea Hawk laughed and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, actually. I've been here for hours." She raised an eyebrow. "No, really. I misread the time. And then I saw the sword and decided to practice some stances and things. And then I was surrounded! By these kids. Quite tricky, they were. Wouldn't let me go anywhere until I showed them my moves."

She rolled her eyes, smile tugging at her lips. "Uh-huh. Well, now that you've escaped, you want food?" He nodded. "Kay, come on." They entered the diner and was shown to a booth facing the ocean. After reviewing the menu, they both ordered the grouper burger. They sat for a few minutes in silence, not really looking at each other. Mermista broke the silence. "So, why teak?" Sea Hawk looked at her. "For your boat. Why teak and not oak?"

"Well, I am the most noble Captain Sea Hawk! And I had to have the most noble wood for my most noble boat! Teak resists dry rot, which is good. Plus, only the best woodworkers can work with it. So, since I am fantastic at woodwork, it was the best thing to use. And the most available."

"And you said you designed it yourself, right?"

"Well, not just by myself. Mom helped with it a bit. But yeah, mostly." Sea Hawk gestured as he described what parts his mom had designed and what parts he had designed and built. Mermista listened in fascination, until he wound down. "What about you? Why was a beautiful girl out in the middle of nowhere?"

She rolled her eyes. "It really wasn't the middle of nowhere. You could still see Salineas, after all." He blinked at her. She shrugged. "I was bored and wanted to go out for a bit. Dad kinda doesn't care too much as long as I don't get into trouble and am back by dark. Works well enough." 

"So, what was your ship built out of?"

She blinked at him, then smiled. "There was no ship. I wanted to go for a swim, so I did." 

"Isn't that a bit dangerous? What if I hadn't been there?" 

"Then I would have swum back...and you'd probably still have your boat." She paused for a minute. "Which, I am sorry I burnt it down. I didn't mean to do that."

He shrugged. "Meeting the most beautiful girl on Etheria was worth losing the  _ Dragon. _ " 

Mermista blushed as she looked away. Then looked back at him with a smirk. "Wanna see something cool?" Sea Hawk nodded and after paying, they left the diner. They headed to a small cove out of the way. 


End file.
